The 43

And that's a wrap! I wish I had written more this summer, something I need to figure out for the fall. And I wish I had not gained 10 pounds in the last month, but I'm taking steps there too (tracking calories again; it always helps). Although I'll miss summer, as I always do, I'm not annoyed that it went so fast this year. Make no mistake -- it did go fast. The past few summers have settled into this routine: School ends A couple weeks with nothing big, maybe a basketball camp and a swim meet Two basketball tournaments here in town Fourth of July A week or two of just summer Michael's Vegas tourney The state swim meet Vacation School begins Labor Day All these mini steps go fast -- so fast that before you know it, summer is over. The heat was back today, and even hazier skies. I hear the crickets chirping from my front porch. This summer was good, bordering on great. I wish I hiked more and didn't get chunky (vacation kills me ...), and I do...

The first two weeks of school are just preludes for the rest of the year. The fun really begins after Labor Day. Today was the day after Labor Day. The heat is still suffocating Salt Lake, but I got to enjoy another day of work by the pool. Haze from fires all over the West (including one up in Weber County) is settling into the valley. Ben began swim practice again after about five weeks off. Michael had another basketball tryout and did quite well at it. And though it was hot today and I got to lounge in a refreshing pool, it definitely felt like summer has concluded. Nothing gold can stay, or in case, blaze orange due the smoky skies.

This stretch of summer started with the first day of the school year and an eclipse. It ended with a triathlon, a holiday, and a greenish swimming pool. The first day of school was the eclipse, 91 percent here in Salt Lake City. We dropped the boys off at school and came home, working a little before enjoying the sky show. Ben was super excited to start sixth grade. Michael was less enthused to be back, though his friends were happy to see him. The first weeks of school passed quickly. The boys got used to their routines. Michael did some extra basketball training sessions in advance of tryouts. We went to the pool a few times. I even worked twice at a friend's house who has a backyard pool -- I couldn't believe how ridiculously productive I was. The second soccer game of the season was played, with us winning 5-4. We're starting to look a little better. A few fantasy football drafts are already in the books. The season is coming soon. Ben and I enjoyed a Friday n...

The week after vacation. The week before school starts. The week I try to re-establish a routine, only to re-establish it again when the boys' summer break ends. We didn't do a heck of a lot these past eight days. I worked. Lori worked hard to get herself back into a groove. Ben played with his friend Ethan a lot. Michael was a lazy teenager but did get some work done. Soccer started this week, and we had two practices and our first game in the new league (lost 6-3). Michael had a basketball training session today and has two weeks to get back into a rhythm before tryouts. I walked Popcorn almost every day this week -- long walks. I feel like I gained 10 pounds on vacation. Lori, Ben and I played board games this week, including Settlers of Catan and Patrician. Today we spent a few hours by our friends with a pool. Then we, as a family walked to the H Rock. Michael isn't too thrilled to be starting school tomorrow. Ben is happy to get back but sad that summer vaca...

Home. Whew. We finished off Nebraska and Wyoming, finally making it home about 9 p.m. Lori drove most of the way, though I handled Rawlins to SLC. Dinner was at McDonald's in Rawlins. Ran into some thunderstorms. We finished listening to Jurassic Park and moved on to Tex. Such a fun trip, but so happy to finally be back.

The long road home began today. We took a little time in the morning before leaving, and of course, Ben was sad to go. We stopped in Iowa City for lunch at Stake and Shake, then had dinner at CiCis in Lincoln near our hotel. We listened to the audiobook of Jurassic Park along the way today. Even though it wasn't the longest day of driving, the boys didn't feel like swimming when we got back to the room. We watched a James Taylor/Carole King concert on PBS and then an old Bee Gees concert, then turned in.

Our last day in Chicago. We leave for home in the morning. Today turned out to be another mellower day, which, after such a jam-packed trip, was acceptable. The highlight for me was taking the boys on a bike ride, on the trail up to Golf Road past Chick Evans Golf Course. We rode about 14 miles, and the stunning part for me was that Dad still has my old Schwinn from the 1980s. Michael rode it, and I swear, I thought I was watching myself from 30 years ago. Ben rode well too, and we went to the McDonald's on Oakton for McFlurries. Lori hadn't had SuperDawg yet this trip, so we ordered from the carhop for dinner. We came home and played Pandemic with Kate and Exploding Kittens with the family. I also watched an SNL Weekend Update special with the fam before turning in for the night.